1. Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to devices, systems, and processes useful as bone plates, and more specifically to bone plates that are secured to one or more bones of a patient using bone screws.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Bone plates, including anterior cervical plates, have been used with some success over the years to bridge two or more bones, or portions of bones. Examples are described in the numerous patents to Michelson, including U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,721 (“'721 patent”), and all of its progeny, the entireties of which are incorporated by reference herein.
As described in the '721 patent, it is oftentimes useful to provide the bone plate with a locking system for the bone screws, to inhibit the bone screws from backing out. While the '721 patent describes several such bone screw lock systems, they are not without their drawbacks. For example, bone screw locks which include a notched perimeter must be very precisely manufactured so that a bone screw can be inserted past the lock and into its respective bone screw hole in the bone plate, which increases the cost of manufacturing such locks. And, the rotational position of the lock must also be carefully set by the surgeon, so that the bone screw lock does not actually inhibit insertion of the bone screw into the plate by misalignment of the lock with respect to the bone screw hole.
There remains a need in bone plates for a bone screw lock which is simple to use by the surgeon, easier and less costly to manufacture, and still inhibit the backing out of bone screws from their respective holes in bone plates.